User interface for television schedule system

ABSTRACT

Screen ( 10 ) for a user interface of a television schedule system and process consists of an array ( 24 ) of irregular cells ( 26 ), which vary in length, corresponding to different television program lengths of one half hour to one-and-one half hours or more. The array is arranged as three columns ( 28 ) of one-half hour in duration, and twelve rows ( 30 ) of program listings. Some of the program listings overlap two or more of the columns ( 28 ) because of their length. Because of the widely varying length of the cells ( 26 ), if a conventional cursor used to select a cell location were to simply step from one cell to another, the result would be abrupt changes in the screen ( 10 ) as the cursor moved from a cell ( 26 ) of several hours length to an adjacent cell in the same row. An effective way of taming the motion is to assume that behind every array ( 24 ) is an underlying array of regular cells. By restricting cursor movements to the regular cells, abrupt screen changes will be avoided. With the cursor ( 32 ), the entire cell ( 26 ) is 3-D highlighted, using a conventional offset shadow ( 34 ). The offset shadow ( 34 ) is a black bar that underlines the entire cell and wraps around the right edge of the cell. To tag the underlying position—which defines where the cursor ( 32 ) is and thus, where it will move next—portions ( 36 ) of the black bar outside the current underlying position are segmented, while the current position is painted solid.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates generally to a system and processthat allows a television viewer to access on screen television programlistings and use the program listings in an easy and convenient way tocontrol operation of a video cassette recorder (VCR) or other recordingdevice. In addition, it relates to such a system and process thatcreates a directory of recorded programs by title for easy retrieval andprogram playback. More particularly, it relates to such a system andprocess in which the VCR or other recording device is controlled by asimple selection of program title and a record command, even forrecording at a future date and time. Most especially, it relates to sucha system and process incorporating an intuitive user interface.

[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art

[0004] The difficulty of setting a VCR for automatic recording at afuture date is notorious. Even users who are technically sophisticatedwill often make mistakes in the VCR programming procedure that causethem to record the wrong program or not to record anything at all. Thisdifficulty has even resulted in a substantial body of humor dedicated tothe subject of programming VCRs.

[0005] The difficulty of VCR programming has been alleviated somewhat bythe development of VCRs that use a television set as a display for userprompts and feedback to the user during the programming process. U.S.Pat. No. 4,908,713, issued Mar. 13, 1990 to Michael R. Levine, disclosessuch a VCR using the television set as a display for VCR programmingwith an interactive user interface for directing the user on astep-by-step basis. Such a user interface removes a great deal of themystery from VCR programming, but users still have difficulty with sucha command-based interface and encounter problems carrying out theprogramming without making mistakes that cause them to miss recordingprograms they would like to watch at a different time than when they arebroadcast.

[0006] Commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,706,121, issued Nov. 10, 1987to Patrick Young, discloses a system and process in which userselections from television schedule information are used for automaticcontrol of a VCR. That patent also contains a description of a proposeduser interface for such a system and process. However, the provision ofa highly intuitive user interface that makes such a system and processeasy and convenient to operate is a difficult task. Further developmentof this system and process has produced considerable change in the userinterface as originally proposed.

[0007] In addition to simplifying VCR programming, users who do asubstantial amount of program taping also need an improved system andprocess for keeping track of their recorded programs. Commonly assignedapplication Ser. No. 07/219,971, filed Jul. 15, 1988, in the name ofPatrick Young, discloses a system and process that provides indexingcapability for taped material. A user interface for a televisionschedule system and process should also handle this capability on anintuitive basis.

[0008] Thus, while the art pertaining to the control of VCRs and totelevision schedule systems is a well-developed one, a need stillremains for a television schedule system and process incorporating animproved user interface. In particular, unlike most computer menus, agrid TV guide is an array of irregular cells, where the cell size canvary from a fraction of an hour to many hours—extending well beyond thecurrent screen. If this array is navigated by a cursor that goes fromcell to cell, a single cursor command can produce violent screenchanges. For example, a cursor right command may cause an abrupt jump toa cell situated several hours from the current page. Not only is thisunsettling, but may take considerable effort to recover. Clearly, agentler cursor motion is needed for the irregular cells found in a gridTV guide.

[0009] Printed grid television schedule guides often include additionalinformation besides the program title and broadcast names. Such gridsare also typically provided in combination with a more detailed printedschedule that contains a synopsis of each program, whether the programis a repeat, ratings for movies, and other information. When using atelevision set as a display for a schedule system, the size andresolution of the television display limit the amount of text that canbe displayed with the grid. Improved techniques are required forconveying the most amount of information to the user in an easilyunderstood manner within the limitations of the television display. Whena large number of channels are available for viewing, there is also aneed to order the display of information most conveniently for the user.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide atelevision schedule system and process with a user interface that isconfigured to compensate for the particular nature of the televisionschedule information.

[0011] It is a further object of the invention to provide such a userinterface having a cursor operation that compensates for an irregulargrid format of the television schedule information.

[0012] It is another object of the invention to provide such a userinterface in which the schedule information is presented in a formatthat compensates for limited resolution of the television display.

[0013] It is still another object of the invention to provide such auser interface in which supplemental schedule information is presentedin overlays that obscure a minimum amount of useful other information.

[0014] It is a still further object of the invention to provide such auser interface in which order of presentation of the scheduleinformation is customizable by user preference.

[0015] The attainment of these and related objects may be achievedthrough use of the novel television schedule system and process userinterface herein disclosed. A television schedule system including auser interface in accordance with this invention has a display, A meansis connected to the display for displaying the television schedule onthe display as an array of irregular cells which vary dimensionally inlength, corresponding to different television program time lengths. Ameans is connected to the display for providing a cursor with thetelevision schedule on the display. The cursor has a variable lengthcorresponding to the length of a selected one of the irregular cells inwhich the cursor is located. A means is connected to the means forproviding the cursor for moving the cursor in the array in a series ofequal length steps. At least some of the irregular cells have a lengthwhich is greater than the length of the steps.

[0016] In the process of operating a television schedule system with theuser interface of this invention, the television schedule is displayedas an array of irregular cells which vary dimensionally in length,corresponding to different television program time lengths. A cursor isprovided with the television schedule on the display, the cursor has avariable length corresponding to the length of a selected one of theirregular cells in which the cursor is located. The cursor is moved inthe array in a series of equal length steps, with at least some of theirregular cells having a length which is greater than the length of thesteps.

[0017] In another aspect of the invention, a control system for a videorecording machine has a controller for starting and stopping the videorecording machine, for recording video information on recording media,and for playing recorded video information on recording media. A displaygenerator provides display image generation signals. A means suppliesinformation to the display generator for generation of display imagesrelating to operation of the video recording machine. The means forsupplying information includes means for generating a recording mediaposition indicator graduated as segments corresponding to programsrecorded on the recording media.

[0018] In a process for controlling a video recording machine, arecording media position indicator is graduated as segmentscorresponding to programs recorded on the recording media. The recordingmedia position indicator is displayed as position of a selected one ofthe recording media in the video recording machine is changed.

[0019] In a further aspect of the invention, a television schedulesystem a display and means connected to the display for displaying thetelevision schedule on the display. The means for displaying a scheduleis configured to allow selection by a user of a first number of desiredchannels for display of schedule information which is less than a secondnumber of available channels. A programmable tuner is connected to themeans for displaying a schedule. The programmable tuner is configured tofollow the first number of desired channels when the television scheduleis shown on the display in response to a channel up or channel downcommand. The programmable tuner is configured to follow the secondnumber of available channels in the absence of the television scheduleon the display in response to a channel up or channel down command.

[0020] In a process for operating a television schedule system, a firstnumber of desired channels is selected for display of scheduleinformation, which is less than a second number of available channels.The schedule information is displayed on a display. The first number ofdesired channels is followed when the schedule information is shown onthe display in response to a channel up or channel down command. Thesecond number of available channels is followed in the absence of thetelevision schedule on the display in response to a channel up orchannel down command.

[0021] The attainment of the foregoing and related objects, advantagesand features of the invention should be more readily apparent to thoseskilled in the art, after review of the following more detaileddescription of the invention, taken together with the drawings, inwhich:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] FIGS. 1-3 are diagrammatic representations of a televisionschedule grid incorporating the user interface for the system andprocess of this invention.

[0023]FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic representation of a screen display usedin the system and process of the invention.

[0024] FIGS. 5-7 are additional diagrammatic representations of thetelevision schedule grid incorporating the user interface for the systemand process of the invention.

[0025]FIG. 8 is a flow chart for understanding the operation of the FIG.7 diagram.

[0026] FIGS. 9-10 are additional diagrammatic representations of screendisplays of the user interface for the system and process of theinvention.

[0027]FIG. 11 is a flow chart for understanding the operation of theFIGS. 9-10 diagrams.

[0028] FIGS. 12-13 are diagrammatic representations of taping and tapeindex screen displays of the user interface for the system and processof the invention.

[0029] FIGS. 14-17 are diagrammatic representations of program selectionby category screen displays of the user interface for the system andprocess of the invention.

[0030]FIG. 18 is a flow chart for understanding operation of the FIGS.14-18 diagrams.

[0031]FIG. 19 is a flow chart for understanding operation of the FIG. 20diagram.

[0032]FIG. 20 is a diagrammatic representation of a channelcustomization screen display of the user interface for the system andprocess of the invention.

[0033]FIG. 21 is a diagrammatic plan view of a control panel for thesystem of the invention.

[0034]FIG. 22 is a block diagram of a television schedule system inaccordance with the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0035] Turning now to the drawings, more particularly to FIGS. 1-7,there are shown a series of menu screens 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20 and 22used in operation of the system and carrying out the process of theinvention. Screens 10, 12, 14, 18 and 20 each consists of an array 24 ofirregular cells 26, which vary in length, corresponding to differenttelevision program lengths of one half hour to one-and-one half hours ormore. The array is arranged as three columns 28 of one-half hour induration, and twelve rows 30 of program listings. Some of the programlistings overlap two or more of the columns 28 because of their length.Because of the widely varying length of the cells 26, if a conventionalcursor used to select a cell location were to simply step from one cellto another, the result would be abrupt changes in the screens 10, 12,14, 18 and 20 as the cursor moved from a cell 26 of several hours lengthto an adjacent cell in the same row. Such abrupt changes disorient auser of the system.

[0036] An effective way of taming the motion is to assume that behindevery array 24 is an underlying array of regular cells. By restrictingcursor movements to the regular cells, abrupt screen changes will beavoided. However, there is now a potential ambiguity between theunderlying cell which governs cursor movement and a visible cell 26which holds the program title.

[0037] Viz.: if the cursor moves in half hour steps, and the cell lengthis, say four hours, should the cursor be ½ hour long or four hours long?If the cursor only spans the interval of the underlying cell (½ hour),the cursor appears to be highlighting a segment of the cell, which ismisleading. On the other hand, if the cursor spans the entire four hoursof the TV listing, the cursor underlying position will be obscure. Inthis case, cursor right/left commands will appear inoperative whiletraversing a long cell. The absence of feedback following a cursorcommand is befuddling to users. Therefore, an innovative cursor 32(FIG. 1) for the irregular array 24 is required which satisfies severalconflicting requirements.

[0038] With the cursor 32, the entire cell 26 is 3-D highlighted, usinga conventional offset shadow 34. The offset shadow 34 is a black barthat underlines the entire cell and wraps around the right edge of thecell. To tag the underlying position—which defines where the cursor 32is and thus, where it will move next—portions 36 of the black baroutside the current underlying position are segmented, while the currentposition is painted solid.

[0039] For an half hour cell 26, the offset shadow's underline bar willalways be solid black. FIGS. 2 and 3 show the cursor 32 as it appearsfor a half-hour program. For programs that go beyond ½ hour, only thecurrent ½ hour position will be solid black. All remaining positionswill be stripped. If the cursor is moved left or right, the solidsection will move accordingly, providing complete visual feedback. Thus,this modified 3D offset shadow cursor 32 satisfies the demands statedabove: it spans the entire cell, yet clearly highlights the currentunderlying position. Movement of the cursor 32 will always be visibleeven for cells 26 that are much longer than the underlying cell.

[0040] A grid continuity icon 38 is shown in FIG. 1. Printed gridtelevision schedule guides often include parenthetical comments, (suchas “cont'd”) to indicate program continuity. In an electronic guidedisplayed on a TV screen, limited text space precludes parentheticalcomments. To conserve space, an icon 38 will be used to indicate cell 26continuity. At the border of a cell 26 that is continued to the nextscreen, an arrow icon 38 pointing to the right will be overlaid. Thearrow direction always points to right, which is the direction ofprogram elapse.

[0041]FIGS. 2 and 3 show recording status representations. When aprogram has been selected for recording, its listing cell 26 will beoutlined or highlighted in red, as indicated at 40. If guard time hasbeen added or deleted, the cell will be stretched or shrunk to reflectthe change. Cell 26 continuity will be treated the same as above. Thereare four other record status representations:

[0042] If the cell is actively being recorded, the outline 40 will blinkoff and on.

[0043] A recorded cell will be displayed with a solid red background 42(Note: Not shown in drawing).

[0044] A mis-recorded cell will be indicated by red hash-marks 44 overthe title. A mis-recording can be the result of insufficient tape, VCRloss of power, stopped before completion, etc.

[0045] A program linking icon 46 is shown in FIG. 5. After each scheduleupdate, the schedule system examines the new listings for the occurrenceof any titles that match a title in Linked Titles (FIG. 23). If a titlematches, it will automatically be tagged for recording. When a linkedprogram is displayed in the guide, it will have two identifiers: a redoutline 40 indicating that the title has been selected for recording,and a link icon 46 appended to the title to indicate that this title waslink-selected. After a linked program has been recorded, it will betreated like any recorded program with the title shaded in red. Todifferentiate this recording from others, the link icon will remainappended to the title.

[0046] Further details on the linking feature are given in screen 19 ofFIG. 23. 1) A linked program 47 may be suspended by the user (perhaps toavoid conflict with a pending recording), by de-selecting the link titlein the Link List screen, under the Record Memo command. A suspended linkprogram will still be identified by a link icon, but the red-outlinewill be suppressed since the program will not be recorded. 2) A smartlink process is used to tame the matching of titles when there is alikelihood of excessive candidates for recording. The Lucy show, forexample, is often syndicated on several channels. Untamed linking ofLucy may result in a plethora of recordings. For such series, the linklist will include the channel and time as well as the link title. Forthe avid Lucy-phile, the user can locate each series individually forlinking. If there is more than one link title of the same name, theseries will be numbered, in the order of acquisition. Thus, the secondLucy will be identified as Lucy (Two), at 47.

[0047] FIGS. 1-3 show the columns 28 headed by half-hour header statusindicators. The ½ hour header strip across the top of the grid TV guidehas two auxiliary functions: 1) as an indicator 48 of pending orin-progress recording scheduled at that time, and 2) as a time-bar 50 todelineate the past from the future. The past is darkened, while thefuture is lightly shaded. If there is an in-progress recording, the ½hour header will be red-outlined at 48 in the same manner as a pendingrecording title cell 26.

[0048]FIG. 6 shows a television schedule grid screen 20 with a programnote overlay 52. With limited text capacity on TV displays, it ispreferable to display as many lines of TV listings as feasible. Tohandle program notes, which are text intensive, on-demand overlays 52are used. Program note overlays 52 may include any or all of thefollowing information: A program genre Program description Stars andpersonalities Year of release Episodic subtitles Run-time of programElapse time of the program Critique (Star Ratings) Rating (PG, G, etc.)Call letter, channel markers Closed caption, stereo.

[0049] Program notes for a selected program are overlaid over the gridguide upon request. The program note can be toggled off/on using aSELECT command. The program note 52 overlays and hides 3 or 4 listingsof a guide. To minimize concealment of the guide, an auto-roving note isused. The program note will overlay either the top half or bottom halfof the screen, as necessary to avoid masking the title of the selectedlisting. If the cursor 32 is in the upper half of the screen, the notewill appear in the bottom half, and vice versa. If the cursor 32 ismoved to the lower half of the screen, the note will automaticallyposition itself in the upper half of the screen.

[0050] FIGS. 1-3 and 5-6 show a channel column 54 in the televisionschedule grid 24. Favorite stations and cable channels may be listedtogether to create a personalized grid guide. The channel column 54,unlike most printed TV guides, has a mix of over-the-air station namesand cable services names.

[0051] The grid 24 guide lists channels by favorite combinations ofstation number and cable names, and not in the usual numerical order.When viewing the grid 24 guide, a Tuner Up/Down channel command will bemapped according to the channels and order listed on the screen. Whennot viewing the guide, the tuner sequence will revert back to the usualnumerical order. When the last channel on a page is reached, the nextTuner command will change the channel to the channel listed at thebeginning of the following page.

[0052] When a channel to which the tuner is tuned is displayed on thegrid 24, it is highlighted, as shown at 56. A grid 24 page may bechanged by either a page command or by entering a channel Up/Dn commandas described above. If a page is turned using the page command, thecurrent channel is now located in the previous page, and will not beseen in the new page. Therefore, the new page must suppress thehighlighting of a channel, since that indicates the current channel.Note that information about the current channel will still be presentedin the channel information boxes 58 at the bottom of the screen.

[0053] When is the highlighting re-enabled? Once into the new page, thefirst channel up/down command will cause the tuner to automaticallychange to the channel listed in the last or first row 30 respectively ofthe new page. Since the tuner channel is now located on the new page,the current channel will be highlighted again.

[0054] If the channel highlighting is not suppressed after a page isselected, by definition, the tuner must be changed to track thehighlighted channel. This is undesirable since casual paging should notcause the channel to change.

[0055] When a guide is first opened, as shown in FIG. 2, both the cursor32 and the current channel 56 are situated on the same row 30 of thegrid 24. When the channel 56 is changed, it is desirable to drag thecursor 32 along with the channel in unison. In doing so, the cursor 32will be ready for a Select command (to retrieve the program note) or fora Record It command. Cursor dragging by the channel command takes placewhenever the channel 56 and cursor 32 are united on the same row. Ifthey are not united, the cursor 32 is disengaged from the channelcommand. Note that dragging is not reciprocal; moving the cursor 32 doesnot affect channel selection.

[0056]FIG. 7 shows a screen 22, showing a program list 58 for a singlechannel, generated by toggling a user What's On TV command, whichswitches between the grid 24 and the list 58. The list 58 consists ofrows 60 of sequential program listings on the channel and a channelinformation field 62. Program notes are overlaid on the list 58 in thesame manner as shown in FIG. 6 for the grid 24.

[0057] Each What's On TV command alternates between the grid guide 24and the What's Next on Channel row guide 58. While viewing the gridguide 24, the next What's On TV command will replace the grid guide 24with a single-channel row guide 58. FIG. 8 is the flow diagram for theWhat's On TV command.

[0058] The page relationship between the two guides 24 and 58 aretightly coupled. The single channel guide will open to the channel andschedule time that was selected by the cursor 32 on the grid 24. Whileviewing the single channel guide 58, the Up/Down channel command may beused to change the channel to be listed. When exiting the single channelguide 58 and returning to the grid guide 24, the grid cursor 32 will bepointed to the channel and schedule time last selected on the singlechannel guide 58.

[0059]FIGS. 9 and 10 show channel grazing overlays 64 and 66 thatprovide information on current programs when switching channels whilewatching television. In the overlay 64, when scanning channels, thetitle of each program is overlaid at 68, along with the name of the TVservice (HBO, ABC etc.), the cable channel number, and the current date,day of week, and time in the channel information field 62. The overlay66 is the same as the overlay 64 except that this overlay includes aprogram note 70, which is similar to the program note 52 in FIG. 6, butcontains information pertinent to a program currently being broadcast onthe selected channel. To access program notes, press the Select key. Inaddition to the program note 70, elapsed time is indicated by apercentage calibrated time bar 72. The bar is bracketed by S for start,and F for finish. By default, titles will appear automatically whenchannels are scanned. Grazing Titles may be de-activated using theCANCEL key. To restore auto-titles, press Select while viewing TV. Theflow diagram governing titles/program notes, while viewing TV, is shownin FIG. 11.

[0060] An express recording screen 74 is shown in FIG. 12. The expressrecording screen includes the following information:

[0061] Title of Program

[0062] Length of Program

[0063] Tape Time Remaining

[0064] Recording Speed.

[0065]FIG. 13 shows a tape index screen 76. Locating a recorded segmentis often an arduous task when several programs have been recorded on thetape. Without a table of contents, the VCR users muddle throughstretches of recording trying to find what's recorded on the tape, wherethe beginning of the desired program is, and where the tape is now. Somepremium VCRs provide tape indexing that automatically finds the start ofeach recording. However, while the viewer can find the start of arecording, the indexing VCRs do not record titles. The net result isabout as useful as a having a table of contents without chapter titles.Considerable searching is still required to find what is recorded ateach index.

[0066] The tape index screen 76 provides a virtual tape directory,giving the equivalent function of a table of contents for a taperecording. There is a list 78 of titles of recorded programs, a pointer80 to the start of the program, and a current position indicator cursor82 showing the “chapter” location on the tape. The virtual directory isautomatically compiled, revised and stored in off-tape memory as theuser records over the tape.

[0067] The What's on Tape command will display a list of titles ofprograms recorded on the tape. The title of the selected program (thesegment of tape that is positioned over tape head) is highlighted by thecursor 82. The tape position pointer 80 dynamically tracks the currenttape position. All searching is done simply by title, bypassing the needfor index numbers. The tape directory is equivalent to a table ofcontents showing titles, but not page number. It automatically opens tothe starting page by simply pointing to the title of the program. Inaddition to the tape directory 78 of recorded programs, the screen 76includes a program duration field 84, a recorded speed of each titlefield 86, a remaining time left on tape field 88, a remaining time lefton program field 90 and a next scheduled recording time field 92.

[0068] The virtual tape directory is generated as follows. It isdifficult to implement a competent self-contained tape directory for anon-random access storage such as a video tape. No matter where thedirectory is stored on the tape, the latent access time to locate thedirectory and return to current position (for a standard six hour tape)is excruciating slow, in the order of 6 to 10 minutes.

[0069] If redundant directories are recorded uniformly across the tapeto minimize latency time, the problem of sluggishness is merely shiftedfrom playback to updating the multiple directories. After each videoprogram is recorded, the entire tape must be scanned to update eachdirectory. Even if this update process is automated, there is a questionof excessive wear on tapes and the VCR itself. Viz: each recording, nomatter how short, results in high-speed scanning of the entire tape inorder to revise all directories.

[0070] Even more troubling is the question of when to perform theupdate, since there is no “safe” period for the VCR to take control. Forexample, the user may have stopped the tape momentarily, perhaps to skipcommercials, only to find that the VCR has commandeered control andplace the tape in a high speed update mode. The safest update is onethat is user-initiated. Unfortunately, few VCR users will follow aregimented procedure of updating after each recording session. Clearly,an on-tape directory based on existing technology is not satisfactory.

[0071] The following innovative solution, the “virtual tape directory”,stores directory information in off-tape memory and does not require anon-tape directory or any augmentation of the video cassette. Since thedirectory is held in external memory instead of the tape, it is bestsuited for tapes that have recently been played and recorded, the“working tapes”.

[0072] When a program is recorded, the title of the program is writtento the data (control track) channel of the tape and, at the same timestored in a non-volatile (NV) memory. Other information about therecorded program, such as length of program, theme category, daterecorded, and tape identifier code may be written to the data channel,as well as stored in the NV memory. The NV memory is adequate to supporta number of working tapes.

[0073] When a tape is first loaded, the tape data channel will bescanned for a few seconds to identify the recorded program under thetape head. This data will be matched against the directories stored inNV memory. If there is a match, the directory of the working tape willbe displayed immediately when the What's On Tape key is pressed. The“virtual” tape directory appears to have been read from the tape, but isactually obtained from NV memory.

[0074] If there is no match, a new directory for the tape will becreated. During playback and recording of this tape, a virtual directorywill be generated for that tape. Directories of inactive tapes will beautomatically purged from memory as new working tapes are introduced.

[0075] It is relatively easy to estimate remaining time of a scheduledtelevised program with the assist of a clock and a TV schedule. Incontrast, there are few clues as to current location during playback ofa recorded program, particularly when there are several recordedsegments on a tape. Tape index counters or running-time clocks requirediligent bookkeeping before the start of a recorded segment. Fewconsumers will tinker with 5 or 6 digit numbers when a “ballpark”indicator is adequate, such as, “is the program about over?”, or “aboutwhen does the next segment starts?”. Clearly, there is need to provide alocation indicator without the burden of bookkeeping.

[0076] To provide an at-a-glance indicator of relative tape location, anon-screen tape position gauge 94 has been devised. The tape positiongauge 94 consists of a vertical bar 96 with the arrow pointer 80 locatedon the left edge of the screen 76. The arrow 80 dynamically tracks thecurrent tape position as the tape is advanced or rewound.

[0077] The gauge 94 is graduated, not in linear units, but in units ofrecorded segments 98 with each segment labelled with its program title.Thus, a 10 minute program or a 6 hour program is represented as onevertical unit corresponding to the width of a segment 98. However, thegauge 94 is linear within each segment 98. If the arrow is pointing atthe upper 25% of the program segment 98, it indicates that the tape headis positioned over the first 25% of the program. If a conventionallinear gauge were displayed, a far more complicated gauge would berequired, that would likely confuse rather than clarify.

[0078] Thus, this tape gauge 94 provides a quick capsule indication ofthe where the tape head is currently positioned, relative to the currentprogram, and relative to other programs or the tape, and the title ofother programs.

[0079] The tape index screen 76 includes a tape motion indicator field100. When the tape is undergoing high speed repositioning, the What's OnThis Tape (WOT) screen 76 will be displayed. During high speed search ofa long program, the tape gauge 94 will appear to be dormant, since thegauge is relatively coarse for programs of long duration. To supplementthe tape gauge 94, the tape indicator 100 is included. During high speedpositioning, one of these messages will be displayed in the space abovetwin-hub tape icon 102: GO PLAY, GO RECORD, FORWARDING, REVERSING,PAUSE, and STOP.

[0080] GO PLAY is displayed while the tape is repositioning to theselected title. When the title is reached, the WOT screen 76 will bedisplaced by the playback video. GO RECORD is displayed while the tapeis positioning to the selected program segment 98, where the newrecording will be written.

[0081] FIGS. 14-17 show Theme function screens 104. The Theme functionallows the viewer to quickly sort the downloaded schedule and display asubset schedule based on a subject of interest. The user has the freedomto select listings sorted first by major themes, second by topic(s)within a theme, and/or by topic qualifiers. All guides sorted by theme,topic and qualifier will be displayed in a row-tabulated format andbegins by listing programs nearest to the current half-hour. The themefunction screens 104 have the following attributes:

[0082] Rotating Themes.

[0083] There are four theme categories, with each theme title enclosedin horizontally-arranged selection boxes 106. From left to right, thethemes are:

[0084] [Movies] [Sports] [Specials] [TV Fare]

[0085]FIG. 18 is a flow diagram defining the Theme command.

[0086] Topic Selection.

[0087] There are up to 16 topics 108 for each theme arranged in an 8 rowby two column field 110. Any number of topics may be selected under aselected theme. Topics is a logical OR function, meaning that eachlisting that meets the definition of the topic will be displayed. Forexample under the theme of Movies, if the topic titles Comedy and Satireare selected, a subset schedule of both comedy movies and satire movieswill be displayed.

[0088] Default All Selection.

[0089] When the Theme screen 104 is first opened, the first slot (upperleft most topic 108) will be highlighted. This is the ALL function,which is the sum of all topics 108 for the selected theme. The ALLfunction was created to minimize key stroking. Without an all topiccategory, the user must enable all 16 topics 108 individually.Conversely, if the user wishes to go from an all topics to an individualtopic, the user must cursor to and deselect each of the other 15 topics.

[0090] Qualifiers.

[0091] Each theme includes a group of search attributes or qualifiers112. The qualifiers for each theme 106 are shown in the respective oneof FIGS. 14-17 for each theme 106. Any number of qualifiers can beenabled at one time. These qualifiers perform a logical OR functions;they will select for display all listings (sorted first by theme andtopic) that satisfy the qualifiers.

[0092] The qualifiers 112 are positioned for easy selection. Theselection of qualifiers is made using the usual cursor commands. When atheme 106 is initially opened, by default, the cursor is located nearthe top of the screen. To minimize cursor commands, the qualifiers arealso located near the top of the screen. In contrast, placing thequalifiers at the bottom of the screen would require a round trip of upto 16 key strokes.

[0093] The complete theme sorting strategy is defined as follows:

Listings=(Topic A+Topic B+etc.)*(Qualifier A+Qualifier b+etc.)

[0094] This may be read as listing all Topic A that also meets QualifierA or Qualifier B, plus all Topic B that also meets Qualifier A orQualifier B, etc.

[0095] Qualifiers, topics and themes are rooted in relational databaseoperations and allow logical sorting of the schedule. To support thesehigher order of sorting, auxiliary data must be delivered to the VCR. Incontrast, simple sorting operations, such as sorting by time and bychannel are inherent in the fundamental information of a TV guide, anddo not require auxiliary search data.

[0096] The keystroke sequence for using the themes screens 104 are asfollows. While watching TV, the first Theme key command will summon theopening theme screen with the left most theme, Movies, highlighted.Further theme commands will rotate the theme selection from left toright. Each theme screen will be initialized to the ALL (topics)selection. If no topic selection is made, an all topics guide for theselected theme will be displayed upon depressing the Select/Gotocommand.

[0097] To additionally sort the theme by a single topic, position thecursor key to the desired topic and depress the Select/Goto key. Use thecursor to return to a topic.

[0098] To sort by more than one topic, position the cursor over eachdesired topic and depress the Select key. When finished, pressSelect/Goto to display a multiple-topic guide.

[0099] To sort by one or more attributes, position the cursor over eachdesired attribute and press the Select key. When finished, move thecursor to a topic and press Select/Goto to retrieve thetheme/attribute-sorted TV guide.

[0100] Other than express recording, all recording activities arecontrolled with the Record Memo screen 16 of FIG. 4. The Record Memoscreen 16 is accessed with a Record Memo key. When the Record Menu keyis depressed, the following titles enclosed in horizontally-arrangedselection boxes 114 will appear at the top of the opening screen. Fromleft to right:

[0101] [Pending [Recorded [Linked [On-Grid Recordings] Programs] Titles]Prog.]

[0102] Each Record Memo key command will highlight a new selection,rotating from left to right, and wrapping around to Pending Recordingsafter the right most position. FIG. 19 is a flow diagram defining theRecord Memo command.

[0103]FIG. 20 shows a Channel Customization screen 116. The screen 116allows the user to customize channels to match viewing interest,providing a compact listing as well as eliminating undesired channelsduring up down scanning. During schedule update, a list of all cablechannels available at the subscriber's cable system (or broadcaststations for over-the-air subscribers) is also delivered to the VCR.This unabridged set of channels may be customized using screen 116.

[0104] The channel customization screen 116 has two fields, a 3 columnfield 118 listing up to 36 unabridged channels and a single column field120 listing 12 favorite MY channels. The latter is a replica of thechannel descriptor column 122 (FIG. 1) of the opening grid guide.Additional pages are available (using the page key to swap between thepages) to accommodate systems with more than 36 channels. Each cell 124in the 3 column field 118 contains the following information:

[0105] Channel number and program service name (such as HBO or stationKTVU, 2). The cell 124 is color-coded to indicate the following states:

[0106] ON, default state before any customization, with the cell 124 inlight green background.

[0107] MY, favorite channels listed in the single column field 120, alsoshown in the three column field 118 with a blue background.

[0108] OFF, a channel deleted from all guides, as well as during ChannelUp/Dn scanning (still accessible using the ten key channel keypad). OFFcells have a gray background.

[0109] When first installed, the system assigns the first 12 (listed innumerical order) channels as MY favorites. The channel status may bechanged by selecting a channel and picking a state, MY, ON, or OFF usingthe SELECT key.

[0110] Since only 12 favorites are allowed, the user must first remove afavorite channel by changing the status of an existing favorite channelto OFF or ON. When that is done, the first column will automaticallyopen up a space for the next MY selection. When a new MY is selected,the MY column 120 will automatically insert the new selection in theprescribed order. The order of listing in the MY favorite channel column120 is as follows:

[0111] All favorite broadcast stations will be listed first in numericalorder. Next, all cable services will be listed in alphabetical order.

[0112] A new cable service, which displaces a previous service, will beinserted under the previous status. Example: If the channel was MY, thenew service will be MY. However, a new cable service that appears on anew channel will be initialized ON.

[0113]FIG. 21 shows a front panel 130 for a remote controller of theschedule system. The top half of the front panel 130 corresponds to aconventional remote controller for a television set and a VCR. Includedare a dual function ten key keypad 132, with the alternate functions ofeach key and its digit shown, a TV/VCR toggle key 134, volume andchannel up/down keys 136, and VCR control keys 138. The lower half ofthe front panel 130 contains control keys that are specific to theschedule system. Included are a What's On Tape key 140, a What's On TVkey 142, a Theme key 144, a Record Memo key 146, a Record It key 148, aLink It key 150, a Help/Menu key 152, a Select/Goto key 154, Left,Right, Up, Down and Page Cursor keys 156, a Return TV/VCR key 158 and aCancel/Undo key 160. The use of these keys has either been explainedabove or is apparent from their labels.

[0114]FIGS. 22A and 22B are block diagrams of television schedulesystems/tape controllers 180 and 182 in which the user interface isused. The schedule system/controller 180 is applicable to existingtelevision equipment, where the schedule system is separate from thebasic television equipment. Programmable tuner 202 is shown as part of acable decoder. The schedule system/controller 182 is shown as integratedinto a VCR 211. In this version, a cable decoder is not required, andtuner 207 is part of the VCR 211. It should be clear from these twosystems 180 and 182 that the schedule/tape controller may be integratedinto other television equipment, such as a cable decoder or a TV/Monitorreceiver. It is also practical to implement the entire schedule/tapecontroller in a remote controller by adding a text display, such as anLCD screen, on remote controller 212.

[0115] In the system 180, programmable tuner 202, which may be part of acable decoder unit, receives a TV signal from antenna 200 and/or fromcable input 205. Tuner output 216 goes to a vertical blanking interval(VBI) decoder 222, which may be a closed caption decoder or a high speedteletext decoder. Listing information and other support information,such as cable channel assignment data, will be transmitted over the VBIby one or more local stations or cable channels several times a day orcontinuously.

[0116] When update is required, programmable tuner 202 will be tunedautomatically to the station or cable channel carrying the data. Afterthe VBI signal is processed by CPU 228, the listing data is stored inschedule memory 232, while the cable channel assignment data is storedin cable-specific RAM memory 238. This data is used to convert genericTV source names, such as HBO, to channel assignments for the specificcable system.

[0117] Other information transmitted to the schedule/tape controller 180and stored in the system RAM memory 240 includes clock update data toset system clock 230 automatically, schedule update time, which may varyfrom once a day to a continuously transmitted format, new themecategories, and last minute schedule change data.

[0118] For a What's on TV request, the listing stored in schedule memory232 is retrieved, processed by CPU 228, and outputted to video displaygenerator 224. Video switcher 226 is enabled by CPU output 246 to selectthe video display generator 224 output whenever schedule data is to bepresented to the TV/monitor 210.

[0119] When a request to time-shift record a program is made, the titleof the program and its record parameters (channel, start time andlength) is copied from the schedule memory 232 to the Record Memo RAMmemory 236. When the system clock 230 matches the schedule time, the CPU228 will issue a channel command to the programmable tuner of the cabledecoder 202, and a power on and record command to VCR 206 by means of aninfrared remote driver 214 directed at infrared input ports of these twodevices. In the VCR integrated version 182, the command to the tuner 207is made on a wired bus 264.

[0120] In addition to programming by selecting a title from theon-screen schedule, it is also possible to program the VCR 206 or 211and the cable decoder 202 or 207 with remote controller 212. In thismode, programming information is entered into the remote controller 212,and at the required time, the remote controller 212 will issueprogramming commands to the proper TV device. While there are manyuniversal remote controllers that offer programming capability, noneallow the user to enter generic names, such as station and cable channelnames, and have the CPU convert the names to specific channels fortuning the VCR or the cable decoder. This is implemented byincorporating CPU 228 and the cable-specific RAM 238 in the remotecontroller 212.

[0121] Remote controller 212 and infrared remote driver 214 are capableof emulating the infrared command instructions required by the cabledecoder 202 and VCR 206. The command emulation codes for the remotedriver 214 are stored in cable decoder IFR code RAM/ROM memory 239.Commands for popular cable decoders and VCRs are pre-programmed in ROM.Alternatively, the infrared commands of the original remote controllermay be learned by aiming the controllers at the IFR input receiver 264and storing the command codes in RAM memory 239 after processing by CPU228. This process is well known in the art of universal remotecontrollers and need not be detailed here.

[0122] As shown in FIG. 22A, the VCR 206 and cable decoder 202 may bemanually controlled by remote controller 212, or it may be automaticallycontrolled by infrared remote driver 214.

[0123] During recording, the tape index location of the VCR 206 will betransmitted over control/data bus 270 to the CPU 228. This start addressinformation is stored in tape directory RAM memory 234, together withthe program title. The bus 270 also carries VCR control commands forrecording, playback, tuner selection, and other functions, includingpower on/off.

[0124] Once a program is recorded, its title and other programinformation is stored in a section of the Record Memo RAM memory 236. Toplay back a recorded program, the What's on Tape request will cause adirectory of recorded programs on the tape to be displayed. When aprogram is selected for playback from this directory, the tape will fastforward or reverse to the tape index location specified in the TapeDirectory RAM memory 234.

[0125] In the system 182, schedule/tape controller 220 is embedded inthe VCR 211. The VCR tape mechanism 252 contains all the record andplayback electronics of the video recorder, less the programmable tuner207. Data recorded on the control track of a tape is coupled to the CPU228 over input bus 258 and output bus 256. The art of recording data onthe control track is well known, for example, in recent VCRs withindexing capability. CPU 228 commands to the VCR 211 are carried overbus 254. When schedule information is to be displayed, video switchercontrol input 246 selects the display generator on line 218. At othertimes, video switcher 226 selects the output of the VCR mechanism 252 online 250.

[0126] Schedule information may be downloaded from the VBI.Alternatively or supplementally, it may be downloaded from atelecommunication line 270 to modem 268 and to CPU 228 via line 266.Other means of delivering schedule information can be employed,including the use of a subcarrier channel on the cable service.

[0127] It should now be readily apparent to those skilled in the artthat a system and method incorporating a novel user interface capable ofachieving the stated objects of the invention has been provided. Theuser interface that is configured to compensate for the particularnature of the television schedule information. The user interface has acursor operation that compensates for an irregular grid format of thetelevision schedule information. The user interface presents theschedule information in a format that compensates for limited resolutionof the television display. The user interface presents supplementalschedule information in overlays that obscure a minimum amount of usefulother information. Order of presentation of the schedule information inthe interface is customizable by user preference.

[0128] It should further be apparent to those skilled in the art thatvarious changes in form and details of the invention as shown anddescribed may be made. It is intended that such changes be includedwithin the spirit and scope of the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:
 1. A television schedule system, which comprises: adisplay, means connected to said display for displaying the televisionschedule on the display as an array of irregular cells which varydimensionally in length, corresponding to different television programtime lengths, means connected to said display for providing a cursorwith the television schedule on the display, said cursor having avariable length corresponding to the length of a selected one of theirregular cells in which the cursor is located, means connected to saidmeans for providing the cursor for moving the cursor in the array in aseries of equal length steps, with at least some of the irregular cellshaving a length which is greater than the length of the steps.
 2. Thetelevision schedule system of claim 1 in which said means for providingthe cursor is configured to provide the cursor with a first portioncorresponding to one of the steps at which the cursor is positionedhaving a first appearance and a second portion outside the one of thesteps at which the cursor is positioned having a second appearancedifferent than the first appearance.
 3. The television schedule systemof claim 2 in which the first portion of the cursor has a solidappearance and the second portion of the cursor is segmented.
 4. Thetelevision schedule system of claim 1 in which said means for displayingthe schedule is configured to show a portion of the array correspondingto a given period of time, said means for displaying the schedule beingfurther configured to display a continuity icon with programs containedonly in part within the given period of time.
 5. The television schedulesystem of claim 1 in which said means for displaying the schedule isfurther configured to display the irregular cells with a differentappearance to indicate recording status.
 6. The television schedulesystem of claim 5 in which said means for displaying the schedule isconfigured to display the irregular cells with different appearances toshow that a program has been selected for recording, is presently beingrecorded, has been recorded, and was mis-recorded.
 7. The televisionschedule system of claim 1 in which said means for displaying theschedule is further configured to display a linking icon with programsthat are to be recorded in combination with other programs.
 8. Thetelevision schedule system of claim 1 in which said means for displayingthe schedule is further configured to display a time status indicatordelineating past time from future time.
 9. The television schedulesystem of claim 1 in which said means for displaying a schedule isfurther configured to display a program note overlay for a selectedprogram on a portion of the array.
 10. The television schedule system ofclaim 9 in which said means for displaying a schedule is furtherconfigured to display the program note overlay in different locations toavoid masking a title of the selected program.
 11. The televisionschedule system of claim 1 in which said means for displaying a scheduleis further configured to allow selection by a user of a first number ofdesired channels for display of schedule information which is less thana second number of available channels.
 12. The television schedulesystem of claim 1 additionally comprising a television tuner connectedto said means for displaying a schedule and in which said means fordisplaying a schedule is further configured to display a channel towhich said television tuner is tuned with a different appearance thanother channels in the schedule.
 13. The television schedule system ofclaim 12 in which said means for displaying a schedule is furtherconfigured so that the cursor follows a change in a channel to whichsaid television tuner is tuned.
 14. The television schedule system ofclaim 1 in which said means for displaying a schedule is furtherconfigured to display alternatively a schedule for a plurality ofchannels covering a first time period or a schedule for a single channelcovering a second time period.
 15. The television schedule system ofclaim 1 additionally comprising a television set connected to said meansfor displaying a schedule and in which said means for displaying aschedule is further configured to display an overlay containinginformation on a television program being shown on said television setwhen a channel being shown on the television set is changed.
 16. Thetelevision schedule system of claim 15 in which the information on thetelevision program includes program title, name of television service,channel number, date and time.
 17. The television schedule system ofclaim 16 in which said means for displaying a schedule is furtherconfigured to provide an alternate overlay including a program note forthe television program being shown on said television set.
 18. Thetelevision schedule system of claim 1 additionally comprising arecording device connected to said means for displaying a schedule andin which said means for displaying a schedule is further configured todisplay information about recording in response to a user command torecord a program.
 19. The television schedule system of claim 1additionally comprising a recording device connected to said means fordisplaying a schedule and in which said means for displaying a scheduleis further configured to display an index of recorded programs.
 20. Thetelevision schedule system of claim 19 in which the index of recordedprograms includes an identification by title.
 21. The televisionschedule system of claim 19 in which the index of recorded programsincludes a pointer showing current location on a recording medium insaid recording device.
 22. The television schedule system of claim 21 inwhich the pointer is graduated in segments corresponding to eachrecorded program on the recording medium, and linearly with respect toposition in each segment.
 23. The television schedule system of claim 19additionally comprising a memory for the index connected to said meansfor displaying a schedule, said memory having a capacity to store anindex for a plurality of recording media for said recording device. 24.The television schedule system of claim 23 in which the recording mediainclude a data channel and said recording device is configured toinclude a title of a program recorded on the recording media in the datachannel, said means for displaying a schedule is further configured tocompare a title in the data channel with the index in said memory and todisplay an index for the recording medium in said recording device basedon a match of the title on the recording medium with the index in thememory.
 25. The television schedule system of claim 24 in which saidmeans for displaying a schedule is further configured to generate anindex during playback and recording with the recording medium and tostore the index in said memory in the absence of a match between a titleon the recording medium with the index in the memory.
 26. A process foroperating a television schedule system, which comprises: displaying thetelevision schedule as an array of irregular cells which varydimensionally in length, corresponding to different television programtime lengths, providing a cursor with the television schedule on thedisplay, the cursor having a variable length corresponding to the lengthof a selected one of the irregular cells in which the cursor is located,moving the cursor in the array in a series of equal length steps, withat least some of the irregular cells having a length which is greaterthan the length of the steps.
 27. The process of claim 26 additionallycomprising providing the cursor with a first portion corresponding toone of the steps at which the cursor is positioned having a firstappearance and a second portion outside the one of the steps at whichthe cursor is positioned having a second appearance different than thefirst appearance.
 28. The process of claim 27 in which the first portionof the cursor has a solid appearance and the second portion of thecursor is segmented.
 29. The process of claim 26 in which the scheduleis shown as a portion of the array corresponding to a given period oftime, the process additionally comprising displaying a continuity iconwith programs contained only in part within the given period of time.30. The process of claim 26 in which the irregular cells are displayedwith a different appearance to indicate recording status.
 31. Theprocess of claim 30 in which the irregular cells are displayed withdifferent appearances to show that a program has been selected forrecording, is presently being recorded, has been recorded, and wasmis-recorded.
 32. The process of claim 26 additionally comprisingdisplaying a linking icon with programs that are to be recorded incombination with other programs.
 33. The process of claim 26additionally comprising displaying a time status indicator delineatingpast time from future time.
 34. The process of claim 26 additionallycomprising displaying a program note overlay for a selected program on aportion of the array.
 35. The process of claim 34 in which the programnote overlay is displayed in different locations to avoid masking atitle of the selected program.
 36. The process of claim 26 additionallycomprising displaying schedule information for a first number of desiredchannels which is less than a second number of available channels inresponse to user selection of the desired channels.
 37. The process ofclaim 26 additionally comprising tuning a television tuner to a channeland displaying the channel to which said television tuner is tuned witha different appearance than other channels in the schedule.
 38. Theprocess of claim 37 in which the cursor follows a change in a channel towhich the television tuner is tuned.
 39. The process of claim 26 inwhich the television schedule is alternatively displayed as a schedulefor a plurality of channels covering a first time period or a schedulefor a single channel covering a second time period.
 40. The process ofclaim 26 additionally comprising displaying an overlay containinginformation about a television program being shown on a television setconnected to the television schedule system when a channel being shownon the television set is changed.
 41. The process of claim 40 in whichthe information on the television program includes program title, nameof television service, channel number, date and time.
 42. The process ofclaim 41 additionally comprising providing an alternate overlayincluding a program note for the television program being shown on saidtelevision set.
 43. The process of claim 26 additionally comprisingdisplaying information about recording in response to a user command torecord a program.
 44. The process of claim 26 additionally comprisingconnecting a recording device to the schedule system and displaying anindex of recorded programs.
 45. The process of claim 44 in which theindex of recorded programs includes an identification by title.
 46. Theprocess of claim 44 in which the index of recorded programs includes apointer showing current location on a recording medium in the recordingdevice.
 47. The process of claim 46 in which the pointer is graduated insegments corresponding to each recorded program on the recording medium,and linearly with respect to position in each segment.
 48. The processof claim 44 additionally comprising storing an index for a plurality ofrecording media for the recording device in a memory.
 49. The process ofclaim 48 in which the recording media include a data channel and a titleof a program recorded on the recording media is included in the datachannel, the process additionally comprising comparing a title in thedata channel with the index in the memory and displaying an index for arecording medium in the recording device based on a match of the titleon the recording medium with the index in the memory.
 50. The process ofclaim 49 in which an index is generated during playback and recordingwith the recording medium and stored in the memory in the absence of amatch between a title on the recording medium with the index in thememory.
 51. A control system for a video recording machine, whichcomprises a controller for starting and stopping the video recordingmachine, for recording video information on recording media, and forplaying recorded video information on recording media, a displaygenerator for providing display image generation signals, means forsupplying information to said display generator for generation ofdisplay images relating to operation of the video recording machine,said means for supplying information including means for generating arecording media position indicator graduated as segments correspondingto programs recorded on the recording media.
 52. The control system fora video recording machine of claim 51 in which said recording mediaposition indicator is graduated according to position of the recordingmedia within a program segment.
 53. The control system for a videorecording machine of claim 51 in which said control system includes amemory and a means for storing indexes of video material recorded on therecording media in said memory.
 54. The control system for a videorecording machine of claim 53 in which the recording media include adata channel and said control system has a means for including a titleof a program recorded on the recording media in the video recordingmachine and a time of recording the program in the data channel, saidcontrol system including a means for comparing the title of the programand the time of recording with indexes in said memory and displaying anindex for a selected one of the recording media based on a match betweenthe program title and recording time on the selected one of therecording media with the indexes in said memory.
 55. The control systemfor a video recording machine of claim 54 in which said system includesa means for generating an index during playback and recording with theselected one of the recording media and to store the generated index insaid memory in the absence of a match between a title and recording timeon the selected one of the recording media with the indexes in saidmemory.
 56. The control system for a video recording machine of claim 51in which the video recording machine is a video cassette recorder andthe recording media are video tape.
 57. A system comprising the controlsystem for a video recording machine of claim 51 connected to a videorecording machine.
 58. A process for controlling a video recordingmachine, which comprises generating a recording media position indicatorgraduated as segments corresponding to programs recorded on therecording media and displaying the recording media position indicator asposition of a selected one of the recording media in the video recordingmachine is changed.
 59. The process for controlling a video recordingmachine of claim 58 in which the recording media position indicator isgraduated according to position of the recording media within a programsegment.
 60. The process for controlling a video recording machine ofclaim 58 additionally comprising storing indexes of video materialrecorded on the recording media in a memory.
 61. The process forcontrolling a video recording machine of claim 60 additionallycomprising including a title of a program recorded on the recordingmedia and a time of recording the program in a data channel on therecording media and comparing the title of the program and the time ofrecording with the indexes in the memory and displaying an index for aselected one of the recording media based on a match between the programtitle and recording time on the selected one of the recording media withthe indexes in said memory.
 62. The process for controlling a videorecording machine of claim 61 additionally comprising generating anindex during playback and recording with the selected one of therecording media and storing the generated index in the memory in theabsence of a match between a title and recording time on the selectedone of the recording media with the indexes in the memory.
 63. A controlsystem for a video recording machine, which comprises a controller forstarting and stopping the video recording machine, for recording videoinformation on recording media, and for playing recorded videoinformation on recording media, a memory, a means connected to saidmemory for storing indexes of video material recorded on the recordingmedia in said memory, the recording media include a data channel andsaid control system has a means for including a title of a programrecorded on the recording media in the video recording machine in thedata channel, said control system including a means for comparing thetitle of the program with indexes in said memory and displaying an indexfor a selected one of the recording media based on a match between theprogram title on the selected one of the recording media with theindexes in said memory.
 64. The control system for a video recordingmachine of claim 63 in which said system includes a means for generatingan index during playback and recording with the selected one of therecording media and to store the generated index in said memory in theabsence of a match between a title on the selected one of the recordingmedia with the indexes in said memory.
 65. The control system for avideo recording machine of claim 63 in which the video recording machineis a video cassette recorder and the recording media are video tape. 66.A system comprising the control system for a video recording machine ofclaim 63 connected to a video recording machine.
 67. A process forcontrolling a video recording machine, which comprises storing indexesof video material recorded on recording media in a memory, the recordingmedia including a data channel, including a title of a program recordedon the recording media in the video recording machine in the datachannel, comparing the title of the program with indexes in the memoryand displaying an index for a selected one of the recording media basedon a match between the program title on the selected one of therecording media with the indexes in said memory.
 68. The process forcontrolling a video recording machine of claim 67 additionallycomprising generating an index during playback and recording with theselected one of the recording media and storing the generated index inthe memory in the absence of a match between a title on the selected oneof the recording media with the indexes in the memory.
 69. A televisionschedule system, which comprises: a display, means connected to saiddisplay for displaying the television schedule on the display, saidmeans for displaying a schedule being configured to allow selection by auser of a first number of desired channels for display of scheduleinformation which is less than a second number of available channels, aprogrammable tuner connected to said means for displaying a schedule,said programmable tuner being configured to follow said first number ofdesired channels when said television schedule is shown on said displayin response to a channel up or channel down command, and saidprogrammable tuner being configured to follow the second number ofavailable channels in the absence of said television schedule on saiddisplay in response to a channel up or channel down command.
 70. Thetelevision schedule system of claim 69 additionally comprising meansconnected to the display for providing a cursor with the televisionschedule on the display, and in which said means for displaying aschedule is further configured so that the cursor follows a change in achannel to which said programmable tuner is tuned.
 71. The televisionschedule system of claim 69 in which said means for displaying theschedule is configured to show the schedule as an array, a portion ofthe array corresponding to a given period of time, said means fordisplaying the schedule being further configured to display a continuityicon with programs contained only in part within the given period oftime.
 72. The television schedule system of claim 69 in which said meansfor displaying the schedule is further configured to display programswith a different appearance to indicate recording status.
 73. Thetelevision schedule system of claim 72 in which said means fordisplaying the schedule is configured to display the programs withdifferent appearances to show that a program has been selected forrecording, is presently being recorded, has been recorded, and wasmis-recorded.
 74. The television schedule system of claim 69 in whichsaid means for displaying the schedule is further configured to displaya linking icon with programs that are to be recorded in combination withother programs.
 75. The television schedule system of claim 69 in whichsaid means for displaying the schedule is further configured to displaya time status indicator delineating past time from future time.
 76. Thetelevision schedule system of claim 69 in which said means fordisplaying a schedule is further configured to display a program noteoverlay for a selected program on a portion of the display.
 77. Thetelevision schedule system of claim 76 in which said means fordisplaying a schedule is further configured to display the program noteoverlay in different locations to avoid masking a title of the selectedprogram.
 78. The television schedule system of claim 69 in which saidmeans for displaying a schedule is further configured to display achannel to which said television tuner is tuned with a differentappearance than other channels in the schedule.
 79. The televisionschedule system of claim 78 in which said means for displaying aschedule is further configured so that the cursor follows a change in achannel to which said television tuner is tuned.
 80. The televisionschedule system of claim 69 in which said means for displaying aschedule is further configured to display alternatively a schedule for aplurality of channels covering a first time period or a schedule for asingle channel covering a second time period.
 81. The televisionschedule system of claim 69 additionally comprising a television setconnected to said means for displaying a schedule and in which saidmeans for displaying a schedule is further configured to display anoverlay containing information on a television program being shown onsaid television set when a channel being shown on the television set ischanged.
 82. The television schedule system of claim 81 in which theinformation on the television program includes program title, name oftelevision service, channel number, date and time.
 83. The televisionschedule system of claim 82 in which said means for displaying aschedule is further configured to provide an alternate overlay includinga program note for the television program being shown on said televisionset.
 84. The television schedule system of claim 69 additionallycomprising a recording device connected to said means for displaying aschedule and in which said means for displaying a schedule is furtherconfigured to display information about recording in response to a usercommand to record a program.
 85. The television schedule system of claim69 additionally comprising a recording device connected to said meansfor displaying a schedule and in which said means for displaying aschedule is further configured to display an index of recorded programs.86. The television schedule system of claim 85 in which the index ofrecorded programs includes an identification by title.
 87. Thetelevision schedule system of claim 85 in which the index of recordedprograms includes a pointer showing current location on a recordingmedium in said recording device.
 88. The television schedule system ofclaim 87 in which the pointer is graduated in segments corresponding toeach recorded program on the recording medium, and linearly with respectto position in each segment.
 89. The television schedule system of claim85 additionally comprising a memory for the index connected to saidmeans for displaying a schedule, said memory having a capacity to storean index for a plurality of recording media for said recording device.90. The television schedule system of claim 89 in which the recordingmedia include a data channel and said recording device is configured toinclude a title of a program recorded on the recording media in the datachannel, said means for displaying a schedule is further configured tocompare a title in the data channel with the index in said memory and todisplay an index for the recording medium in said recording device basedon a match of the title on the recording medium with the index in thememory.
 91. The television schedule system of claim 90 in which saidmeans for displaying a schedule is further configured to generate anindex during playback and recording with the recording medium and tostore the index in said memory in the absence of a match between a titleon the recording medium with the index in the memory.
 92. A process foroperating a television schedule system, which comprises: selecting afirst number of desired channels for display of schedule informationwhich is less than a second number of available channels, displaying theschedule information on a display, following the first number of desiredchannels when the schedule information is shown on the display inresponse to a channel up or channel down command, and following thesecond number of available channels in the absence of the televisionschedule on the display in response to a channel up or channel downcommand.
 93. The process of claim 92 in which the schedule informationis shown as a portion corresponding to a given period of time, theprocess additionally comprising displaying a continuity icon withprograms contained only in part within the given period of time.
 94. Theprocess of claim 92 in which programs in the schedule information aredisplayed with a different appearance to indicate recording status. 95.The process of claim 94 in which the programs are displayed withdifferent appearances to show that a program has been selected forrecording, is presently being recorded, has been recorded, and wasmis-recorded.
 96. The process of claim 92 additionally comprisingdisplaying a linking icon with programs that are to be recorded incombination with other programs.
 97. The process of claim 92additionally comprising displaying a time status indicator delineatingpast time from future time.
 98. The process of claim 92 additionallycomprising displaying a program note overlay for a selected program on aportion of the schedule information.
 99. The process of claim 98 inwhich the program note overlay is displayed in different locations toavoid masking a title of the selected program.
 100. The process of claim92 additionally comprising tuning a television tuner to a channel anddisplaying the channel to which said television tuner is tuned with adifferent appearance than other channels in the schedule information.101. The process of claim 37 additionally comprising tuning a televisiontuner to a channel and in which a cursor follows a change in a channelto which the television tuner is tuned.
 102. The process of claim 92 inwhich the schedule information is alternatively displayed as a schedulefor a plurality of channels covering a first time period or a schedulefor a single channel covering a second time period.
 103. The process ofclaim 92 additionally comprising displaying an overlay containinginformation about a television program being shown on a television setconnected to the television schedule system when a channel being shownon the television set is changed.
 104. The process of claim 103 in whichthe information on the television program includes program title, nameof television service, channel number, date and time.
 105. The processof claim 104 additionally comprising providing an alternate overlayincluding a program note for the television program being shown on saidtelevision set.
 106. The process of claim 92 additionally comprisingdisplaying information about recording in response to a user command torecord a program.
 107. The process of claim 92 additionally comprisingconnecting a recording device to the schedule system and displaying anindex of recorded programs.
 108. The process of claim 107 in which theindex of recorded programs includes an identification by title.
 109. Theprocess of claim 107 in which the index of recorded programs includes apointer showing current location on a recording medium in the recordingdevice.
 110. The process of claim 109 in which the pointer is graduatedin segments corresponding to each recorded program on the recordingmedium, and linearly with respect to position in each segment.
 111. Theprocess of claim 107 additionally comprising storing an index for aplurality of recording media for the recording device in a memory. 112.The process of claim 111 in which the recording media include a datachannel and a title of a program recorded on the recording media isincluded in the data channel, the process additionally comprisingcomparing a title in the data channel with the index in the memory anddisplaying an index for a recording medium in the recording device basedon a match of the title on the recording medium with the index in thememory.
 113. The process of claim 112 in which an index is generatedduring playback and recording with the recording medium and stored inthe memory in the absence of a match between a title on the recordingmedium with the index in the memory.